Actual 'WRITING' For ACTORS

I take Script Writing Courses at my place and also ONLINE. One of my Students in a previous Batch was an Actor. He was hesitant before joining the course. He didn't feel right to sit with other Fellow Writers, learning screenwriting, as he was and is a big name in the industry. So he opted for ONLINE Course.

He was doing a Film that time, in the process. But he was stuck at his work. He couldn't understand the Script well, the details of it. He made the Writer of the Film come to the sets and explain everything, still he failed. Director was with him, his lead Actor wasn't able to portray the Character correctly. The Writer of that Film went on to take another assignment and distanced himself from the Project and this egoistic Actor.

The Actor had failed to take his right emotions out. The Director, a friend of mine, suggested him to learn Writing to understand the Film and the Character entirely. So he came to me.

I taught him Script Structures and Character build-up and other things. He began to open up with his doubts and started understanding the meaning behind the words and the overall process of Writing a Film Script.

He applied this new-found in his work as an actor. He would break the Film's Script down so that, without really knowing it, he was studying its structure in the sense of what it was the Characters wanted. He realised that that’s really much more important than the result of the Character: what do they want, what causes the conflict between them, what is the structure of the scene, what is the overall through-line of the Film's Story, what is the spine, what does everything kind of hold on to. That was one way in which he could instinctually, as an actor, work on trying to understand the Film's Script. He was happy and so was I.

WRITING FOR ACTORS

I am watching Tom Hank's movies for a while now. Needless to say that he is an extraordinary Actor. The range of emotions he shows is outstanding. Every Character he portrays has an uniqueness to it. Always, he appears fresh and brilliant in every single Film, that you can watch his films again and again...

Just watched 'The Terminal' again after a long time and still I got fascinated with his, Mr. Narvoski. He sneaks into the skin of the character so smoothly that you get attracted towards him and start feeling for him.

Now, I believe that he must have some thoughts behind choosing a Film. He needs to feel the connection with the character before he signs the dotted lines I guess. He has a taste of his own. I think, before zeroing on any particular Script, he must be going through the emotional journey of the given character. And for that Tom Hanks must have his own philosophy... for Films, for Life, for everything..!

Not all but a few successful Actors/Actresses do choose the films on such basis I believe. And I guess that's the trick for a Writer to learn and understand before approaching any Actor/Actress.

Many Writers write the Scripts keeping some Actor in mind. That pays off some times, but only if you can make that Actor connect with your Story, with your Character. Convincing an Actor or Actress becomes easy when you know what they think and how they think and why they think so... If you study the Actor you desire to play the specific role, you will find they searching for something. They always want particular things from a Character written for them. That Character could be anybody, a Joker, a Villain, a Hero, a Murderer, a Policeman, a Politician, a Teacher, a Rapist, a Lawyer, a Soldier or even a Janitor. You must give them exactly what they want from a character.

And I guess that's the trick. I urge all my Writer-Friends to go through this process if they are willing to write a Script or a Character keeping a particular Actor or Actress in mind.

Give them a GOAL, raise the Stakes for them and then give them a time limit to fulfill the task, create the Urgency for the character. Such gripping flow will catch their imagination and they will agree with your Character and sign the Script...Trust me they will..!

It all started with, 'WHAT IS STORY?' and 'LOGLINE'

This is something I came up with when I actually started thinking about the Film Script Writing. And it all started with the basic question - "What is Story?"

Trust me, I am running Script Writing Courses and have faced many students with this basic question asking on the very first day. I had to find out simplest way of telling them...in their own simple words. Here what I came up with...

So what is a Story?

Story is 'WHAT'.

And then what is Screenplay?

Screenplay is 'HOW'...described in Audio-Video Medium and told or written in a visual format.

Then what about Book Writing? How do you define it? What is the difference between Book and Cinema?

Book is an 'Individual Impression' of 'Personal Relations'. The Story happens in the mind of the Protagonist, mostly.

And

Cinema is an 'Expression' of 'Collective Assumptions'. The Story happens around the Protagonist, which he is a part of.

Now, the LOGLINE:

Logline is the Story told in 3 to 5 lines. Generally, the Story told in 3 lines qualifies to be called a 'STORY'.

Line 1: Who is this Story about?

Line 2: What happened to him/her/them?

Line 3: What is the result of the Situation or Crisis he/she/they went through?

Once you write these 3 Lines or LOGLINE, you are ready to start writing the Screenplay in a proper Structure.

We will talk about it later.........

Keep Smiling..! Keep Writing..!

ILTW Film & TV Script Writing School in Pune and Mumbai.

ONLINE Courses Available.